Guests will be delighted if you add individual gifts and party crackers to their setting.

If you only have a few minutes, add candles to the table setting. / Getty Images

Add dishes of candies, angels and other decor to the table. / Jackie Rehwald/News-Leader

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Add these finishing touches to your dinner table in just a few minutes.

If you only have 8 minutes

Christmas and Hanukkah stories are about bringing light into the world. Your table should reflect that. If you only have a few minutes before guests arrive, add some candles to brighten up the setting. And remember the basic rules of table setting: Flatware is laid out in the order that guests will use it (working your way from the outside in), dessert forks or spoons are laid horizontally at the top of the dinner plate, napkins go to the left of the plate and glasses go above the dinner knife.

If you only have 18 minutes

Along with the candles, add floral and fruit dish arrangements to your table. Don’t forget place cards at each setting so everyone knows where to sit.

If you only have 28 minutes

Your guests will be delighted to find little gifts and goodies left at each place setting. Adding angels, Christmas crackers and other decorative items to the centerpiece and place settings will give the table a festively formal look.

Ideas suggested by Peter Longley, horticultural interpreter at the Botanical Center in the Springfield Botanical Gardens. You can learn more about setting a holiday table at Longley’s Tablescapes program, 6 p.m. Dec. 14. Cost of the class is $8. To make reservations, call 891-1515.